This invention relates to methods, components and a system of structural members for buildings, and more particularly, to structural members which both support a building and connect the walls thereof.
An important consideration in the construction of any building is cost. One means of controlling the costs of constructing a building is to use modular structural components in its construction. These components may be fabricated into modular subassemblies for later construction at the site.
In many underdeveloped countries, a severe housing shortage exists. A means of constructing simple dwellings can contribute in reducing the poverty in these countries. However, the paucity of skilled labor makes it difficult to produce suitable dwellings on a large scale. The least developed countries have a surplus of unskilled labor, which, if tapped, could be used to help alleviate the housing problem. One means of tapping this source of unskilled labor is to provide dwelling homes made of simple, modular constructions which can be assembled with the unskilled labor.
Dwellings such as summer homes or cottages are generally of secondary importance and may not be used throughout the year. These, too, may be built with little or no skilled labor as, e.g., on small or underdeveloped islands. A method of keeping the cost of construction of such dwellings to a minimum will decrease the selling price and correspondingly increase the number of dwellings sold.
Prior art systems have not fully addressed the problems posed above. Some suggested constructions have used parts that were complicated to manufacture and difficult to assemble. In many prior art systems of building construction, expensive materials are used throughout. Even if these systems were easily assembled (not always the case), the initial cost could be prohibitive. Corrugated panels have been used to construct dwellings, but these tend to result in unsightly shanty towns. One system has used clamps to join corrugated walls to form dwellings, with facing panels to hide the corrugations. In another prior system, an "I" shaped member is used to position parallel metal sheets in a floor, which is then covered with a suitable plastic coating and wood. However, this system requires expensive prefabricated metal components, and is not well suited to constructing a wall. Thin walled tubes of, for example, cardboard, have been suggested for the construction of poured concrete forms. However, galvanized top and bottom frames with sheet metal top and bottom retainers or moldings are employed to hold wall panels in place, and these add expense and complication to this suggested structure. The tubular members are filled with concrete for strengthening. In another suggested arrangement, tubular members are stood side by side to form walls that are then covered with a cementitious layer. This suggestion presumes the labor necessary to form the cement layer, a cement foundation, and an intermediate cement beamlike portion between upper and lower wall sections is available. This construction method requires more than just unskilled labor and would appear to be expensive and slow.
Accordingly, a need thus exists for inexpensive buildings which do not require substantial amounts of skilled labor, but which can be made reasonably attractive and can be readily and quickly assembled.